The Anambra State government has set machinery in motion to establish crèche in all government offices as a way to encourage exclusive breastfeeding in the state.
Anambra State is said to have achieved only about 20 percent
of exclusive breastfeeding, a situation attributed to the fact that most
nursing mothers in the state belong to the working class cadre.
Executive Secretary of the Anambra State Primary Health Care
Development Agency, Mrs Chisom Uchem said at a one day workshop for heads of
Primary Healthcare Centers in the 21 local government areas of the state in
Awka that the proposed facility would also help mothers and their babies during
the mandatory six months exclusive breastfeeding.
The workshop was organized by the agency in collaboration
with the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF.
The Executive Secretary said: “The idea is to make
breastfeeding work in work places. There are enablers to make it work. For
instance, there is need for government to have crèche in all the government
facilities.
“What this means is that anywhere a breastfeeding mother is
working, there should be a conducive environment for her to keep the baby and
breastfeed such baby on demand. We don’t want to have mothers complaining that
the reason they are not breastfeeding their babies is because they have to work
or that they want to absent themselves from work to be able to breastfeed their
babies.
“When we talk about exclusive breastfeeding, we are also
talking about zero water because God has packaged the breast food for nine
months for the baby in the mother’s womb and this food has enough water for the
child for the first six months of birth.
“We are already making the state government to buy into it.
When the wife of the governor flagged off the breastfeeding week, she mandated
that the message should be sent to all the 21 local government areas.
“I also personally visited the 21 LGAs and asked the
councilors to take the message to all the political wards.
“The crèche may not
take off at the same time throughout the state, but I can give assurance that
over time, every government office will buy into it. We believe that every
government parastatal will key into it because the wife of the governor wants
to ensure that the project is realized.
“Some ministries in the state already have the crèche we are
talking about. What is needed is a bed where the baby should be kept and for
the mother to go and breastfeed regularly. There are also sick bays where the
mothers can rest if the need arises”.
She said the state government is also planning to enact a
law on exclusive breastfeeding so that mothers who default could be penalized.
The Director of Disease Control and Immunisation (DDCI),
Anambra State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Placid Uliagbafusi,
called for compliance to the Marketing Breast Milk Substitutes (BMS) Code in
the country.
In a lecture, Uliagbafusi said there is need for a law to
regulate the sale of baby formula in the country as the uncontrolled sale has
been found to be a drawback to exclusive breastfeeding.
According to him, if such laws were made and enforced, the
level of exclusive breastfeeding will surely rise in the country.
He said: “One of the challenges of exclusive breastfeeding
is the continued violation of the international code of marketing of breast
milk substitutes.
“The knowledge and lack of awareness of stakeholders have
contributed to the gravity of violations in Nigeria.
“Breast milk is the best food for the child as it prevents
diarrhoea, chest pain and other diseases.
“No person shall publish or be a party to the publication of
any advertisement for breast milk substitute or infant formula which makes any
claim or suggestion that bottle-feeding is equivalent to breastfeeding.
“It shall be the duty of every government, nongovernmental
organizations or private institutions engaged directly or indirectly in health
care delivery, to take such measures as may encourage, promote and protect
breast-feeding.
“No facility of a health care delivery system shall be used
for the purpose of promoting, displaying placards, posters or materials
concerning breast milk substitute or infant formula or other products of like
nature.
“Every breast milk substitute or infant formula intended for
sale shall be subjected to a satisfactory laboratory and clinical analysis by
the manufacturer or distributor.”
He urged relevant
authorities to aggressively address the unpleasant situation through
interventions, including effective sensitisation of all stakeholders.
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